ANSTHRLD - Armory conflict check: Duncan M

awmorris at flash.net awmorris at flash.net
Tue May 9 06:57:55 PDT 2000


> 
> And we thank our lucky stars that heralds weren't common artists and common
> art wasn't heraldry.
> Nope, no matter what period artists did (and from my perusal of period
> art and scribal productions they did some pretty amazing things) the
> heralds knew they were dealing with two entirely different critters.
> (Unicorns are related to goats, BTW, not horses.  The horse connection is
> definitely post-period and likely a product of the Romance Age.)
> Everything else that fuzzes the issue I blame on bad rendition.  :)
> 
> - Teceangl
> -- 
> 		Gwell car yn y llys nag aur ar fys

I'm afraid you missed the point.  I agree that a unicorn is an 'entirely 
different critter' from a horse.  And a raven is an entirely different bird 
from a crow.  And a luce is an entirely different fish than a pike.  The point 
is that the visual representations of them are not distinct enough to be easily 
distinguishable.  Actually the differences between a goat and a horse weren't 
very obvious in much period art either.      

And for at least the last century of period time the standard depiction of a 
unicorn was a small horse-like body with a horn, beard, and tufted feet.  Note 
that none of the differences are visually significant.  And that size is 
irrelevant for heraldic purposes.     

If Laurel rules that horses and unicorns are different then submissions will be 
processed on those grounds.  But we have to be ready to accept unicornate 
horses on shields, banners, etc.  And we have to be ready to explain to the 
holders of arms that we don't stop other people from registering arms that are 
indistinguishable without fairly close examination.  

Mableth.  
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